The pact that would float hundreds of turbines off the coasts of Morro Bay and Humboldt Bay was billed as a breakthrough to ultimately power 1.6 million homes and help the state and federal government meet ambitious goals by climate change through clean energy production.

“California, as we all know, has a world-class offshore wind resource, and it can play a major role in helping to accelerate California and the country’s transition to clean energy,” said the national advisor. for the climate, Gina McCarthy.

The plan includes 380 floating windmills in an area of ​​nearly 400 square miles (1,035 square kilometers) that lies 32 kilometers northwest of Morro Bay. The site could be finalized next month and could be rented out next year.

The announcement is part of President Joe Biden’s plan to create 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.

The scale of the California projects would eclipse the wind farms planned or proposed on the East Coast. Two weeks ago, the Biden administration announced a $ 3 billion project off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts that would power 400,000 homes with 84 turbines.

The 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. Another proposed project, Ocean Wind, off New Jersey would create 1,100 megawatts of electricity.

California wind farms would produce a total of 4.6 gigawatts, with the Morro Bay operation providing two-thirds of that output.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he included $ 20 million in his revised budget proposal this month, which would help speed up environmental reviews of projects.

California has set a goal of producing all electricity by 2045 from renewable energy resources and zero-carbon production facilities.